From the Executive Director

I am honored to be the leader of Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley.

Like all of us at Fighting Back, I have seen too many negative influences that impact our kids and cannot stand by idly.

My favorite leader, President T. Roosevelt, describes two types of people – the Critic and the Man in the Arena. I have chosen to jump into the arena and fight for our children’s future. Fighting Back works with individual children, parents, and also with community wide projects that have an impact on the communities where our kids and families reside.

I share your love for our community. The newspaper paints a grim picture of gang violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and unemployment. But what I see more often are parents working hard to provide a better life for their families. They simply need support and resources. Some need more tools to be a parent in today’s world, others need someone in their corner supporting their good decisions. That is what Fighting Back is all about. We also enjoy collaborating with the other community service agencies in town.

I have seen many broken families in our community, but I have rarely met a parent who says they don’t love their child. We believe that children thrive when they have adults in their lives who show them unconditional positive regard — and so that is what we do at Fighting Back.